NY Fire Department Rejects Navy SEAL For Being Too Old — Other Departments Invite Him To Apply

The New York Fire Departement rejected a 37-year-old U.S. Navy SEAL because he was too old. Shaun Donovan, an active Special Operations Chief for the Navy SEALs, has served four combat tours and scored in the top 1% of applicants for the FDNY, according to his attorney Kevin Carroll. The FDNY says that Donovan is six months older than the maximum age requirement.

While Donovan is still active in his line of duty in California, he was hoping to move to New York when he is eligible to retire from the Navy in 2020.

Shaun Donovan / Courtesy Photo

Donovan grew up in Tuscon, AZ but was originally from Staten Island, NY. He had a huge desire to fight fires in the NY area because of his upbringing starting in the area. Donovan says he provided his birth date multiple times, including before and after he took his tests. He had even taken a make-up exam granted by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services because he had been on duty at the time.

Despite all of that effort, he received a letter that his application had been denied, citing the age requirement as the reason. He allegedly appealed this with the FDNY, but they said they are not authorized to waive the requirement for anyone.

“Several hundred veterans are believed to have taken the test and are eligible for an appointment when we reach their list number. In fact, this morning at our training academy, we swore in 327 new probationary firefighters — 126 of whom are military veterans,” Gribbon said.

U.S. Navy SEALs / Wikimedia Commons

However, one door might have closed for Donovan, but another one has surely opened! Donovan’s situation has gained a lot of traction in the media, which has caused a number of fire departments to reach out to him. One of them was the Denver Fire Department’s head recruiter who reached out to him, encouraging him to apply for a post-military career with them.

The Denver Fire Department requires a GED and to be at least 21 years old to apply, but there is no maximum on age. We know that Donovan will be in good hands with whatever department he decides to go with!

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Check out the video below, which details more information into the case against the New York Fire Department and their rejection of Shaun Donovan: